Wednesday, May 13, 2009

I like to journal privately, but I kinda like to type in something sorta pretty. I know. It’s silly. Penzu is a lovely place to have a private diary just for you and no one else. It even has a double-locking feature if you’re particularly paranoid about keeping your mental craziness private.

I set it as one of my homepages and spill out gunk every morning, sorta like morning pages.

I’ve also been addicted to Instant Boss. Working on a computer makes the internet a bit of a distraction. It’s the tiniest little app, and yet it allows you to work in spurts and reward yourself with a break. There’s a little alarm when it’s time to take a break, and a little voice says, “Aw, man!” when it’s time to get back to work.

You can adjust the work minutes and break minutes to whatever suits you.

Whenever I go to Borders and wander the stacks, I can’t help but think, “Oh! I want to teach my child that! Then that! Then that!” And yet, the possibility of children feels like it’s slipping away every day. Patience, hope, and trust, I guess.

I’m managing asthma much better now. I’m pretty proud of myself. I’d learned how to manage an attack, but I didn’t understand the daily life bit, until falling asleep every hour forced me to figure out what the heck was going on. My attention span has improved DRASTICALLY since I started making sure my brain gets enough oxygen. Go figure.

*****

I’m not at all pleased with the novella I’m writing now. My one little pub is so busy, I usually just get an “I like it” unless I beg. I suppose I’d rather have the higher pay than an editor, at this point, but my attention is so distracted by the studio and teaching and writing a non-fiction essay, that I feel this novella is not my best work.

I also tried a lyrical voice with it. I’m not sure why. I’m constantly writing stuff that demands a lyrical sort of voice, and yet I feel my strength lies more in the short and snappy and rhythmic.

I rarely write that way. Maybe it’s so different it makes me uncomfortable. Or maybe it’s better suited to genres I don’t actually write. I tend to think of it as my spy thriller voice, but if we were all holding our breath for that one, we’d all be dead. ;-)

What little apps do you use to make your life easier? How do you manage your attention span when there’s so much waiting to distract you? Thoughts on voice?

I've had a lot of thoughts on voice lately. Not a lot of answers though. This revision/rewrite it kicking my butt all around. But I do know that the voice needs work. Girlfriend just hasn't quite figured herself out yet.

I don't use any tools, but I probably should. Once I get into the cycle of facebook, scrabble, and AW, I keep wanting to check one last time before digging into my wip. I guess my OCD comes through there. :)

I'm glad you figured out how to breathe again. I was getting a little worried about you.